FATAL VISION
CHAPTER Eleven
The gift cart was a regular event each day at Memorial Hospital. Actually it was like a convenience store on wheels. It brought the gift shop to each floor of the hospital by a volunteer, usually a senior citizen. Most people welcomed the interruption in their often boring, difficult day.
This third day of confinement for the detectives was just like the others had been. The only difference was that they were both feeling better and able to move around. For Starsky, this meant he was restless and looking for distractions.
When the gift cart stopped outside their room, Starsky grabbed his crutches and hopped out to join the other patients who had already gathered, looking for something to read or a favorite brand of toothpaste to replace the grainy kind that was provided in their hospital wellness basket.
Starsky inspected the magazines, picked up one about cars and a candy bar.
He would save the magazine for later, but his sweet tooth needed attention immediately so he hobbled back to his room to enjoy the treat.
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It was rare that the fifth floor ever got as quiet as it was this evening. Some patients had been discharged and as of yet, there hadn't been any admitted. Dinner trays had been served and the best part was that the head nurse was on her dinner break. So Cindy hunched over a gossip magazine at the front desk and figured she'd have twenty minutes of peace without Nurse Brooks. That was heaven!
She looked up at the sound of footsteps and felt a brief surge of panic, but relaxed once she saw it was only Susan. Cindy watched as the other woman stopped in front of her.
For Susan, she was really pleased that it was Cindy and not Beth at the desk. Cindy was a nice girl and a good nurse but kind of scatter brained and gullible. These two qualities were just what Susan could use to her advantage. She stopped in front of the other girl and pasted on a smile that made Cindy feel that she was taking part in a big secret.
"Hey Cindy, would you like a break for about ten minutes? I'll cover for you if you want to go to the lounge, finish your magazine and get a diet soda." Susan smiled and inclined her head toward the nurse's lounge then offered an explanation.
"I'm actually off duty but I need to double check that my chart notes are up to date before I sign off and start my rotation in the E.R."
She came around the other side and peered over Cindy's shoulder at the magazine.
"Oh that would be great. There's a great story in here about that blond guy who sings. He's really hot!" She pointed to the young man in a shirt which was opened to the waist and clicked her tongue in admiration as she headed for the lounge.
Susan got right to work. She pulled the charts that she needed, changed a few things then initialed them correctly. Forgery was something she'd picked up quickly while she'd been away. The other women inmates had been impressed with her talent.
Her eyes kept darting to the elevator. She was pretty confident that Nurse Brooks wouldn't be back for awhile because she'd seen her in the cafeteria with her boyfriend.
She grabbed a few things she needed and stuffed them into her pockets just as Cindy came back. Along with what she'd already pilfered from the emergency room, all of it would be essential in order to accomplish her task.
"I forgot to clean out my locker. I think that's where I left my favorite lip gloss!" Susan quickly moved to her locker, cleared it out and waved goodbye.
Surprisingly she had the elevator to herself as she pushed the button for the garage. She decided it was time to shed her 'Susan' persona. She'd go back to being in her old skin. She wouldn't have to hear that fake name again and by the time anyone figured out what was going on, she and Hutch would be together, forever. At that point, it really wouldn't matter what her name was, only that no one could ever separate them again, not even Starsky.
The drug she'd injected Sean with would be wearing off and he'd find his way to the precinct.
Checking her watch, she took in a deep breath. She was ready.
Meanwhile, on the fifth floor, Allison finished up in room 505. She had done the initial history and examination and now her patient was ready for surgery the next morning. No other people had been admitted so the rest of her shift should be routine.
She decided to finish her day with a quick check on the two detectives.
"I'm just popping in on my favorite patients before I'm done for the day." She moved to Starsky's bed, curious as to what he was watching so intently.
Starsky was absorbed with an old monster movie, one he hadn't seen in a long time while his magazine lay forgotten beside him.
Allison became engrossed in the cheesy black and white film and took more time than she should have in their room.
Starsky became aware that she was enjoying the program and asked her what her favorite old movie was.
"Oh I love the old monster movies, like The Blob, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, all those creepy, silly ones!" She jumped slightly as a particularly exciting part played out on the T.V. screen.
"A woman after my own heart!" Starsky teased. She blushed as she gathered up the stethoscope and blood pressure monitor.
"I guess I better go. But let me know how it turns out." She felt embarrassed and wanted to melt into the floor. She didn't even stop to say good bye to Beth, she just wanted to retreat to her quiet apartment. She had no way of knowing that her evening would be anything but quiet.
Starsky and Hutch exchanged glances. The dark-haired man gave his friend a lop- sided grin as he went back to his movie.
With Allison done for the day, Beth and Cindy would be continuing their shift with Nurse Brooks. The woman always went by the book, was efficient but not gentle. She was from the old school and believed that her duty was clinical and there was no room for personal involvement.
Beth had only been gone for a minute so she was surprised when Nurse Brooks wasn't around.
"Cindy, where's Nurse Brooks? Didn't she come back from her break?" Once the head nurse was on the floor, she presided over her responsibilities with a keen eye and her hand in every situation.
"She came back only to give a hurried explanation that there was an emergency at home. She grabbed her purse and left. About ten minutes later, personnel called and said that Allison had agreed to come back to help out, even if her shift was over." Cindy chewed on her fingernail.
"It's okay. I don't expect any problems." Inwardly, Beth was relieved.
It always calmed her to make herself aware of all that she was responsible for. Even just glancing over charts made her feel more organized so she grabbed David Starsky's chart along with Ken Hutchinson's. They were at a point that they didn't require much and in fact would be going home in a day or two.
She pulled David's chart to see if there were any new instructions. She didn't expect any and was confused when she read over new orders. She read through them a second time and when she got to the doctor's signature, she grew more curious. She pulled Ken Hutchinson's chart and found that his medication orders had been changed as well.
Knowing that the detectives had been hurt while on assignment, Beth's curiosity grew.
"Cindy, was Dr. Bradbury here today? Wonder why he changed the medication orders for the detectives?"
"He wasn't here. In fact, isn't he on vacation? I think he left yesterday after he made rounds. Dr. Michaels is covering until he gets back." Cindy got up and joined Beth at the desk. She scanned the page that was open.
"Well, maybe he forgot something and came back when you weren't here."
"Nurse Brooks always reports any changes that occurred if we aren't here. She's fanatical about that. The only person that's been here recently is Susan. She came to pick up some stuff then left."
She shook her head and silently berated herself for thinking about something so crazy. She and Allison had talked about Susan often, speculating that there was something not quite right about their fellow nurse. Allison's comment that Susan seemed almost territorial when it came to Starsky and Hutch's care came back to her. It wasn't good nursing to get so attached.
Beth felt great relief when half an hour later her friend hurried toward the front desk. She pushed Allison toward the lounge, mumbled to Cindy about filling her in and shut the door behind them.
Cindy shrugged her shoulders and went to answer the call from a room down the hall.